Different types of rack-mount storage systems exist and are being used to mount single or multiple devices in equipment cabinets. For example, such systems are commonly used in research/laboratory settings to hold various types of test equipment such as signal generators, oscilloscopes, computers, etc.
A typical rack-mount storage system may include an equipment cabinet having a device opening therein and a support structure for supporting devices in that equipment cabinet. Commonly used support structures include shelves or platforms for holding the devices or rail systems for slidably receiving the devices.
On some occasions, the devices may be mounted in the equipment cabinet prior to shipment. Therefore, the support structure must be designed to handle those situations in which a fully configured equipment cabinet is shipped. Stated differently, the support structure and cabinet must provide the structural strength and rigidity required to support the weight of the devices mounted in the equipment cabinet both at rest and during shipment.
Conserving and minimizing vertical height space is an important design criterion for rack-mount storage systems. Often, if not always, the more vertical height that is required to mount a device in an equipment cabinet, the more costly the rack-mount storage system is to the end-user. According to EIA (Electronic Industries Association), the applicable rack-mount standard for measuring vertical height space is ANSI/EIA RS-310-C. Under this standard, vertical height space is allocated in increments of 1.75″ for the industry standard 19″ rack-mount cabinet for electrical products. Obviously, vertical height space can quickly add up when using this incremental approach.
Partly in an effort to provide for the above-mentioned conditions, a rack-mount storage system has been developed in which a full-width shelf is used to support the weight of the devices. Since the shelf needs to have sufficient thickness to support the weight of the devices both at rest and during shipment, the shelf is usually provided with a substantial thickness which occupies valuable vertical height space. Thus, although rack-mount storage systems of this type do work and are currently being used, the continuing need to conserve valuable vertical height space places significant limitations on such rack-mount storage systems.
In another effort in part to meet the above-mentioned conditions while conserving vertical height space, another rack-mount storage system has been developed. In this second rack-mount storage system, a first, usually half-width device is secured to a secondary component. The secondary component may comprise either a second device or a frame approximating the size of the second device. The secondary component bridges the gap between the mounted first (e.g., half-width) device and the opposite side of the equipment cabinet. The first device and secondary component are fastened to one another and are designed such that together they provide the necessary structural integrity to support the weight of the devices both at rest and during shipment. Although the foregoing arrangement may conserve vertical height space, rack-mount storage systems utilizing this secondary component method are not the most convenient and cost conscious approach. Indeed, this type of rack-mount storage system has numerous drawbacks. For example, by requiring the secondary component when only one device is to be installed, this system is impractical. Second, this rack-mount storage system requires the device chassis and the secondary component to possess sufficient strength to support the weight of the devices both at rest and during shipment. Third, this design requires the fastening method to possess significant structural strength. Fourth, this rack-mount storage system requires the first device to be unfastened from the secondary component, a rather cumbersome process, whenever a device is to be removed or installed. All of these drawbacks lead to increased costs and decreased convenience.
Consequently, a need exists for a rack-mount storage system having sufficient strength and rigidity to support the weight of a device or devices both at rest and during shipment. Ideally, the rack-mount storage system would support the device or devices mounted in the equipment cabinet yet require no additional vertical height space for structural support. If achieved, a shorter equipment cabinet might be selected which could not otherwise be used if additional vertical height space were necessary to mount the devices in that equipment cabinet. Alternatively, additional space might be available for mounting other devices in the equipment cabinet.